Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    FD
  • Title
    Architectural Plans and Drawings of Major B C Deacon
  • Admin/biog history
    Basil Charlton Deacon FRIBA (1878-1958) was the son of an architect, Charles Ernest Deacon (1845-1927). He was born in Liverpool and studied at Liverpool University School of Architecture from 1895-1897. He was articled to his father from 1897-1900. He worked as an assistant to Edward Percy Hinde from 1900-1901; to Whilliam Edward Willink and Philip Coldwell Thicknesses of Willink & Thicknesse from 1901-1904 and in the Architects' Department of Liverpool Corporation in 1905. He married Mary Florence Henderson in Bootle, Lancashire on the 23 August 1905. He commenced independent practice in Swansea in 1906 but by 1909 had moved to Luton. He worked as an assistant to Luton Corporation. FD1 and FD2 date from his period with Luton Corporation. In 1913 he entered partnership with B B Franklin. He served in France with the Royal Engineers during the First World War. He remained in partnership with Franklin until 1928. Basil's older brother Wilfred Thor Deacon was also an architect and in 1921 Wilfred was employed by his brother's company of Franklin & Deacon Architect's and Surveyors. Both Basil and Wilfred were freemasons and members of the Cumberland Lodge Luton in 1921. Wilfred returned to Liverpool by 1938. Deacon was a Major in the Territorial Army between the First and Second World Wars and on the outbreak of the Second World War became a 2nd Lieutenant with the Royal Engineers. After the end of his partnership with Franklin, Basil Deacon went into partnership with Charles Gude in the company that had been set up by John Usher and then carried on under Usher's nephew A E Anthony. On Anthony's death in 1920 Charles Gude, his son-in-law had succeeded to the business. The company changed name to Deacon and Gude after the Second World War and in 1949 becaome Deacon & Laing. In about 1973 the company was absorbed into the Charter Design Partnership.
  • Archival history
    Thought to have been deposited with Luton Museum by Charter Building Design Group in November 1973 under Acc M/781. The plans were catalogued in December 1973 under the reference FD in a single running number sequence regardless of project. Bedfordshire Archives was given a copy of this catalogue, which it kept with its own catalogue for material received from Charter Building Design Group (reference CDE). In 2012 some, but not all, of the drawings carrying FD references were deposited with Bedfordshire Archives by Luton Museum as connected with the Franklin, Deacon, Briars architectural collection (FDB). The FD numbers have been retained for certain projects e.g. Luton Free Library and Luton proposed baths. Not all the drawings listed in the original catalogue have been deposited with Bedfordshire Archives. While some other drawings that carried an FD reference have been catalogued within the Franklin, Deacon Briars collection as they relate to drawings within that collection and to the time when Deacon was in partnership with Franklin. It is unclear where the drawings not deposited with Bedfordshire Archives are currently.
  • Level of description
    fonds
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